


Stay With Me

by jongdaed



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, also posted under chapter eighteen of my christmas drabbles with bts and exo, there's also some fluff, well kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 13:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8892166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongdaed/pseuds/jongdaed
Summary: first of all, i'd like to say that this is also posted under chapter eighteen of my christmas drabbles with bts and exo. i wanted to post this as an individual work too because it's honestly way too long to be considered a drabble - this is one of the longest oneshots i've written. and let's be real, posting a chapter under a work where every chapter is different isn't really going to be viewed, but i really want this to be read because i like it. i'm starting to ramble a little, so i'll stop, but i hope you guys like this, and if you do please check out the other christmas drabbles here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8714668





	

 

It's nearly the end of November, the temperature has been dropping and you're struggling to keep warm with the one jacket you have on. It's not too much of a problem though, you're heading to a place where you always feel warm.

 

You push open the door to the dance studio and peer in cautiously, a small smile coming over your face as you spot your boyfriend Jongin resting at one corner. "I'm here!" He looks up when he hears your voice, and lifts an arm to wave you over.

 

You walk to where he's seated and drop your bag down before sitting next to him, noticing how tired he looks. "How was practice? Tiring?" Jongin nods, "There's only a week left till the performance... I'm scared I won't do a good job." In a week, Jongin has a recital and scouts from big companies will be there. You know how hard he's been working for this performance, you can see how much he wants to do well, but you want him to take care of himself too.

 

"You will. You've worked so hard for this, there's no way the audience won't see all the effort you've put in. Even if they hate it, I won't. I'll always be your biggest fan." You tell him seriously, placing your hands on his shoulders. Jongin smiles after hearing your speech and pulls you close for a hug. "Thank you for saying that. I think I should get back to practicing now, wait for me?" You nod and lean back against the wall, settling in to watch Jongin dance and give feedback.

 

All too soon, a week passes by and it's the night of Jongin's recital. You've bought flowers, you had to specially order them since lavender roses aren't common, but it's worth it since they're pretty and you like the meaning behind them - enchantment. The auditorium where the recital is held is entirely full, filled with friends and family of the performers as well as scouts. There's casual chatting going on, but the atmosphere's slightly tense, it's a very important day for the performers after all. You try to make yourself comfortable and make a quick wish that Jongin will do well today, and the performances begin.

 

They're all good. You don't know much about dance, but all the performers have passion poured into their every movement, and you find yourself enthralled, staring at them from the start of each performance to the end. You're not the only one who thinks this way, the rest of the audience is quiet and paying rapt attention to those on stage, and the only time there's sound is when a performance ends and everyone applauds. And then Jongin appears on stage.

 

You hear gasps from some girls around you, and you're not surprised. His makeup is done well and his body posture screams confident, there's no way anyone isn't focused on him. When the music starts, Jongin takes a deep breath, looking out at the audience, before he turns his gaze back to the floor to wait for his cue to begin. It's breathtaking; his movements are fluid and as you watch him, you find yourself feeling calm. Even when the music gets faster and so does his movements, that sense of peace can still be felt. You'd always known Jongin was a good dancer, but this performance was of an entirely different level. When the last notes of the music ring out in the auditorium and Jongin holds his pose for a couple of seconds before taking a bow, you get up to give him a round of applause, as does half the audience.

 

"That was amazing," you tell Jongin after the whole recital has ended and you find him backstage. You pass him the lavender roses and he accepts them gratefully, slinging an arm over your shoulder. "Was it? I'm glad. It felt good." He seems like he wants to talk more, but just then his instructor walks in with two women and men. They're all dressed smartly in suits and look very alert, despite it being nearly 10 p.m. "Jongin, got some time to spare? They'd like to talk to you." He gestures towards those standing behind him, and it's obvious that they're scouts. Jongin immediately walks over and all of them exit to find a quieter place to talk. Left with nothing to do except wait, you sit on a nearby chair and take your phone out to reply messages you hadn't been able to during the recital.

 

Jongin returns 15 minutes later looking excited. You stand up when you see him and ask, "How was it?" He grabs you by the waist and spins you around, catching you off guard and causing you to let out a scream. "They want me! Juilliard wants me!" It's great news, Juilliard is one of the best schools for dance and you're genuinely happy for him. "Congratulations! I knew you'd be able to do it." Jongin looks happy too, but his smile drops a bit, and he takes a breath before he speaks again. "There's something else though..."

 

They want him to go over during the winter recess to get used to the school and settle in before the spring semester begins. It's not a big thing, it's good for Jongin to get to look around first before the school year begins, but Jongin reveals what's bugging him. "Winter recess begins on December 23. I'll be missing celebrating Christmas and New Year with everyone here." It shouldn't be something to give Jongin reservations, but New York is far away and to have to leave for a completely new environment in half a month and miss celebrating Christmas and New Year with family and friends would make anyone hesitate. Even so, you smile at Jongin. "It'll be alright, we can Skype and text as often as we can. Juilliard is the chance of a lifetime! Everyone will understand." 

 

Jongin looks reassured by your words and takes your hand in his. "I can always count on you to say the right things to calm me down." You squeeze his hand and grin, barely feeling the weight that has settled in your chest.

* * *

As time passes and the time for Jongin to leave for New York nears, his time is spent either practicing or with some of his friends who want to say goodbye to him. He's been busy, but he tries to make time to see you whenever he can. When he's finally met up with all those who wanted to see him once before he left, there's one and a half weeks left, and if he's not dancing he's with you or his family. You go on dates at the amusement park and museum and have fun, but you like the days where the two of you just stay home and talk best. It's on one of these days when Jongin suddenly asks, "How will things be like when I'm in New York?"

 

You look over at him. He was sprawled on the couch just moments ago, but now he's sat up straight and making eye contact with you. You inadvertently straighten up too and ask, "What do you mean?" Jongin looks down at the floor, "I mean... we haven't talked about what'll happen to us. Are you okay with a long-distance relationship? I've read about it online and a lot of people say it's difficult..." You bite your lip. To be honest, you'd searched about long-distance relationships too and read about many stories where couples couldn't make it work, but you didn't want to break up with Jongin. "We can make it work, can't we?" Jongin looks relieved at this, "Yeah, we can. I just thought... it might be too difficult for you." You shake your head, "Why would it be? You're chasing your dream, I wouldn't think of doing anything to stop you from doing what you want to do." Jongin leans over to kiss you on the cheek, and you close your eyes for a moment, trying to lose yourself in the moment and ignore how the weight in your chest has gotten even heavier.

* * *

With only days left to Jongin's departure, you've just about moved into his house. No one seems to mind, you're basically part of the family by now, anyway. At night, you sleep in Jongin's bed next to him, cherishing the few nights you have left until you have to sleep alone all the way till May. On December 22, Jongin tells you to dress up nicely because he wants to bring you out for dinner. You go along with his instructions, and when you're waiting for him in his house, he arrives home out of breath in the clothes he wears to dance, before quickly disappearing upstairs for a shower and change of clothes. Within ten minutes, he's done, and he comes back downstairs with a blanket and picnic mat.

 

He leads you to the rooftop, and everything finally makes sense then. There's a picnic basket there on a table with warm sandwiches and potato salad. There's even dessert - brownies. It's very cold, what with it being the end of December, but Jongin's prepared extra jackets, heat packs and even hot drinks. The thought and care he's put into this makes you tear up, and you say thank you very quietly to Jongin, who just ruffles your hair and pulls out your chair for you.

 

Dinner goes well, and after that both of you sit on the picnic mat to look at the stars. Not many can be seen, but Jongin knows how much you like to look at the stars. You're touched by all that he's done for you, and you tell him, but he just shrugs. "It's nothing much. I want to do so much more for you, but we'll have to wait until May for that." And with that, you're reminded of how Jongin's about to leave.

 

Without any warning, tears well up in your eyes and spill down your cheeks. Jongin doesn't notice until you sniff and wipe your tears away, but when he does he immediately sits up and looks at you in concern. "What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong... I just..." you choke out, not knowing what to say to him. The weight in your chest has never felt so heavy before, and you feel like you'll implode if you don't say something about it to him. "I think of you leaving and it feels so heavy inside. I know this is the best thing that could ever happen to you, and I'm really happy for you, and I know it's selfish of me to want you to stay but I really want to tell you... please don't leave me behind." You whisper, feeling more tears roll down your face. 

 

You can't look at Jongin, you feel too ashamed to. What kind of girlfriend are you, to want him not to follow his dreams but to stay by your side instead? But Jongin cups your face in his hands and forces you to look up at him. There's no trace of anger in his eyes, only sadness. "I don't want to leave you either. If I could, I'd bring you along with me, but that's not possible. But even when I'm in New York and you're here in Korea, I'll talk to you every day and Skype you so often it'll feel like I'm with you. You won't be lonely." You laugh despite yourself. "There's a 14 hour time difference, how is that going to work?" Jongin pulls you close to him and you relish the warmth you feel from him. "It will. We'll make it work. We can do it. Even if I have to stay up late just to talk to you I'm okay with that." You shake your head, "You shouldn't, it's fine, I'm just being very emotional."

 

Jongin frowns, "No you're not, it's okay to feel this way. And I'll wait as long as I have to until we get to talk at least once every day so you won't forget me." It's so sweet that you find yourself tearing up again, but Jongin just hugs you tighter and wipes your tears away. "Just be patient until May, okay? I'll be back in no time. Don't cry." You nod and dry your tears, and you and Jongin continue hugging as you look at the sky, waiting for the inevitable moment that Jongin has to let go and leave, but knowing without a doubt that he'll come back to you as soon as he can.

**Author's Note:**

> note: juilliard doesn't have spring admissions, i twisted this a bit to fit the story. other than that though, the dates are accurate - i took them from the juilliard website.


End file.
